(Probably) getting an X200 - some questions

Hi all,

So after weeks of indecision I think I've finally decided on a new X200 from the Lenovo outlet store. It's a 2.53GHz model going for about £650, which is a good price for the UK (in contrast, the current X201 starts at £880.)

Two questions though:

-Is it stupid to get my HDD and RAM upgrades from Lenovo instead of DIY?

To illustrate, I can upgrade from 2GB DDR3 to 4GB DDR3 for £30. A quick scan of amazon.co.uk did not reveal any 2GB DDR3 sticks cheaper than that, and that's assuming that there's only one 2GB stick in the machine.

As for the HDD, I can upgrade from the standard 7200rpm 160GB to 7200rpm 320GB for £17. I'm guessing some of you will tell me that I should go for an SSD, but I honestly don't know if that's necessary right now. Still, I'm open to persuasion.

-Also, has anyone here had a good experience transitioning from a touchpad to a trackpoint? My current computer (which will remain my primary rig) is a macbook. I think us macbook users are completely spoiled when it comes to touchpads. I'm sure I can get used to a trackpoint, but I'm wondering how much I'll miss two-finger scrolling, etc.

Anyway, TIA!

 

Price it out. If it's cheaper with Lenovo, then go that way.

I been trackpadless for six months and sometimes I still wonder what I'm doing, but I'm getting better. Scrolling on the stick is the best part about it.

 

If you used trackpads for a while then it will take some time before the trackpoint become natural to use. It can be easy to just give up and buy a bluetooth mouse but if you keep going at it then it will slowly become second nature. My first laptop only had a trackpoint (a Compaq Armada, not IBM!) so I was forced to use it back then but doing so helped me learn to use the trackpoint proficiently.

I know people who aren't familiar with the trackpoint tends to stroke it like a touchpad at first and become frustrated all too easily. The way I use it is with one hand, index finger on the trackpoint and thumb on the buttons. Slightly push the index finger down and in the direction you want without lifting up and just click the buttons using the thumb. That's just me though, some people use two hands while other use completely different fingers to do the job. But anyway just practice on what you feel comfortable, and soon enough you can use any laptop input device easily whether its touchpad, mouse or trackpoint.

 

Thanks for the advice. Pretty open and shut really! Now I just need to find a good bloatware removal guide.

 

does Lenovo have an outlet store in UK?

 

No unfortunately, only the US at the moment. *sobs*

 

Well they have the clearance corner

Lenovo - Laptops Clearance Corner Special Offer Page - UK

...which is essentially the same thing, no?

 

similar, Australia should be offered something like this too.

 

Is this the Australian sale you were hoping for, or should we expect better sales with lower prices?

AUD$999 X200 (also coupons are not accepted)

Lenovo - Laptop Computers - ThinkPad - Business Laptops - X Series Notebooks - Overview - Australia (AU)

When I cancelled my order for the X201 (I'm now happy with the idea of the X200), they mentioned something about a new model in about 2 months. Should we expect even lower prices for the X200, and how much lower do you expect it to go?

 

i am saying that Australia should be offered a clearance section or outlet store like in the UK and USA.

i already got the X200s and X200t during the clearance sale for $999 each (my spec is slightly more expensive due to the intel 5300 card, 9 cells/8 cells battery and a WWAN on X200t), which is something that i am more than pleased with in terms of price and spec. This is the final clearance of the X200s/X200/x200t (the x200t is sold out in the first 16 hrs).

My friend tried to order the X200s and he was declined for some strange reason, he is thinking of buying the X200s from me (he has it right now), since the customer support lady said there is a 4 weeks wait for delivery. I am thinking of selling it to him, since i bought the X200t already, and the X200s while slightly lighter is not much a step up in terms of spec (i would love it to have the WXGA+ LCD rather than the WXGA that it came with), if it has the WXGA+ LCD then i would have kept it.

I will probably use this money to get the X301 from my other friend, as he is selling a brand new company machine to me for 1200 dollars, with 6 cells, 128 gig SSD, optical drive installed, and everything. I will either sell the X301 that i have in Shanghai or give it to my relative, since he is eyeing the X200s and X301 for the past 6 months already.

Originally, i was getting the T410 and W510, but now i am not too sure about it, since lot of the W510 that my friends have are plagued by different problems, granted they bought them when it was first released (latter revision is reportedly more stable, but still the negativity lingers in the back of my head, especially with the Nvidia GPU debacle). Instead, i may get the W700 or W701 or possibly HP 8740w with the gorgeous S-IPS LCD (I usually hate HP laptops with a vengeance but i take a exception on this model).

 

the max battery they offer is 6 cell with the X200. Does anyone ever have any success in getting upgrades over the phone, comparable the upgrades on the website? I really need a 9 cell battery... and not for $190

I also need to ask about the 2 WWAN card options "Ericsson F3507g None US WWAN" vs "Integrated Basic Mobile Broadband" as I actually want to use Vodaphone, but have the option of swapping carriers at a later date.

 

the F3507g is unlocked and will work with any GSM carrier who supports that card.

 

I think Lenovo should offer a domestic Outlet Store for all the areas they're selling in full stop. I think the Clearance Corner in the UK is a short term thing, notice they only sell limited (last gen) models which deemed as surplus and trying to clear the inventory out. Not once I saw a T400 at that Clearance Corner so that forced me out of that market.

One thing that makes the Lenovo Outlet US store worth looking is that it offers you a choice throughout it's model range whether you want a new but cancelled order model, refurbs or scratch & dents if you feel risky. There's plenty of models to choose from (compared to the 4 models we have) and also accessories on offer too at massive cut down prices. I wouldn't mind a refurbished unit myself if it means big savings from new, but the clearance corner here doesn't offer anything like that.

 

R400 is offered through US store for 400 to 500 on average, which is really competitive and i would have snapped up couple of these if it was available in Australia at that price point (it costs at least 1100 dollars in Australia).

 

You know you could always use a package forwarding service to ship what you buy from the outlet to you. Even if you pay tax on it at customs, it might still be worth it.

 

That is how the grey market operate in China... they should consider the fact that some people have a tendency for impulsive buying, and when you add too many steps to that, it really puts impulsive people like me off.

 

Good point! I can understand how the convoluted process of freight forwarding can kill the momentum of an impulse buy. As you can probably tell I'm not an impulse buyer. I tend to chew through decisions slowly and agonise over every detail.

 

i am quite the opposite... i am really impulsive in my purchase decision... like most of the Apple products i bought, none of them would have eventuated if i took the rational path.